Modular floor system

ABSTRACT

A modular floor system employing shared loading between adjacent panels. The modular floor system is comprised of a plurality of lower panels with each panel having interlocking features and a plurality of upper panels with each panel having interlocking features. The lower panels are arranged in a pattern adjacent to each other. The upper panels are similarly arranged in a pattern adjacent to each other and positioned above the lower panels. The pattern of upper panels is arranged such that each upper panel interlocking features engages with the complementary interlocking features of a plurality of lower panels. The resulting unified structure forms a substantially planar surface.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 61/072,789 for MODULAR FLOOR SYSTEM filed Apr. 3,2008, the entire disclosure of which is fully incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND

A modular floor system is a semi-permanent surface assembled using aplurality of smaller, usually identical floor panels to provide astable, uniform and durable surface. These floor systems are typicallyinstalled over rigid surfaces such as concrete or semi-rigid surfacessuch as grass or sand to provide a temporary platform for a variety ofuses. Care must be taken in that some conventional edge joined modularfloor systems installed over semi-rigid surfaces will tend to “unlock”from the adjacent panels during use creating a hazard, especially forfoot traffic. Other uses include covering and protecting surfaces fromnon-intended uses such as covering over a polished wooden basketballfloor to prevent damage from hard-soled shoes or covering an ice rink sothat it can be used for other functions.

Floor panels are typically square in shape although other shapes havebeen used such as rectangular or polygonal. The panels are formed from avariety of materials including wood, plastic or metal and usuallyinclude complementary interlocking features around the periphery so asjoin with adjacent panels to form a unified structure. The key aspectsof modular floor systems are that they can be quickly and easilyassembled and disassembled and therefore easily transported and stored.

SUMMARY

The present invention relates to a modular floor system employing sharedloading between adjacent panels. The modular floor system is comprisedof a plurality of lower panels with each panel having interlockingfeatures and a plurality of upper panels with each panel havinginterlocking features. The lower panels are arranged in a patternadjacent to each other. The upper panels are similarly arranged in apattern adjacent to each other and positioned above the lower panels.The pattern of upper panels is arranged such that each upper panelinterlocking features engages with the complementary interlockingfeatures of a plurality of lower panels. The resulting unified structureforms a substantially planar surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a modular floor system according to oneembodiment of the present invention with one corner area partiallyassembled to show construction;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the partially assembled cornerarea of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of a modular floor system panelaccording to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3B is an enlarged portion of FIG. 3A illustrating severalinterlocking features;

FIG. 3C is an enlarged portion of FIG. 3A illustrating an interlockingfeature;

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of an alternate modular floor systempanel according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of an alternate modular floor systempanel according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view of an alternate modular floor systempanel according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a modular floor system according to oneembodiment of the present invention depicting assembly of the modularfloor system panels;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an assembled modular floor systemaccording to one embodiment of the present invention taken along section6-6 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged portion of FIG. 6 illustrating the interlockingfeatures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A modular floor system 10 as illustrated in FIGS. 1-2 includesinterlocking upper panels 12, lower panels 14 and edge covers 16.According to one embodiment of the present invention, upper panels 12and lower panels 14 are preferably the same so as to facilitate ease ofmanufacture and resulting cost savings. As will be described in moredetail later, alternate embodiments of the present invention couldinclude upper and lower panels that are constructed differently totailor the floor system for a specific uses.

In describing one embodiment of the present invention, the upper panels12 and lower panels 14 will be assumed to be identical such that thedescription from hereafter, unless otherwise described, will be the samefor both panels. Panel 12 is typically constructed of plastic, but othermaterials are possible such as aluminum. Panel 12 is made by firstextruding plastic such as polypropylene, polyvinylchloride (PVC) or anyother suitable plastic material into a typical cross-sectional shape asshown in FIG. 3A. The plastic extrusion process is especiallywell-suited for producing panels 12 since it provides a cost efficientmeans of producing a consistent cross-section and allows the variabilityof making different lengths. Cross-sectional width W and thickness T canbe designed to any practical size, but it is usually dictated by acombination of manufacturing and application considerations. Typicalpanel 12 widths are 8, 12 and 16 inches although other widths are easilyfeasible. Likewise, a typical panel 12 thickness is approximately 0.5inch, although it can be made larger such as 1 inch, 2 inches or greaterdepending on the application.

Individual panels 12 are formed by cutting the extruded plastic shape toany desired length, but preferably even lengths such as 2, 4 or 8 feet.The panel 12 length can be tailored to a specific application which mayinvolve a variety of factors such as shipping and handlingconsiderations, and ease of assembly or disassembly. For instance, atypical homeowner application may require shorter length panels thanthose used for commercial applications.

FIG. 3A illustrates a typical cross-sectional shape of extruded panel12. Panel 12 is extruded as a unified structure and is comprised ofouter surface 20, inner surface 22, main latch 24, side latches 26, ribs28 and locking ribs 30 and is essentially symmetrical about a verticalcenterline through main latch 24. Since panel 12 is formed by theextrusion process, these features are consistent throughout the lengthof the panel. The outer surface 20 is generally planar but can includesurface treatments or features to enhance aesthetics or functionalcharacteristics such as a decorative wood grain lamination forappearance and scratch resistance, grooves or texture for tractionpurposes, or perforations for drainage or ventilation. The inner surface22 is generally planar and essentially parallel to outer surface 20.Main latch 24 is located substantially around the midpoint of thecross-sectional shape, but in an alternate embodiment can be offset ineither direction depending on the panel overlap required for aparticular application. Side latches 26 are located along thelongitudinal sides of the extrusion and are designed to mate with mainlatch 24. Ribs 28 project substantially perpendicular from inner surface22 and are located symmetrically to either side of main latch 24.

Referring to FIG. 3B, main latch 24 is comprised of a central portion 32which projects substantially perpendicular from inner surface 22, twolocking flanges 34, and two alignment flanges 36 that form recess 38.Locking flanges 34 project laterally outward from central portion 32 atapproximately the midpoint while alignment flanges 36 project laterallyoutward and then downward to form recess 38.

Referring to FIG. 3C, side latches 26 are located along the longitudinalsides of the extrusion and include body portion 40, hook 42 and sideflange 44. Body portion 40 extends substantially perpendicular frominner surface 22 and is designed to flex laterally during assembly ordisassembly of the floor system 10. Hook 42 is located at the end ofbody portion 40 and projects laterally outward. The angles of the twosloping surfaces on hook 42 are designed to permit easy assembly andpositive locking between panels 12 but yet allow disassembly whenrequired.

FIGS. 4A-4B illustrate alternate cross-sectional shapes of panel 12 thatare similar to that shown in FIG. 3A but differ in the design of mainlatch 24 and corresponding side latches 26. FIG. 4C is yet anotheralternate cross-sectional shape of panel 12 with a different design ofmain latch 24 and side latches 26 but illustrating a possibleasymmetrical cross-sectional shape.

Referring to FIGS. 1-2, the assembly of floor system 10 will bedescribed using upper panels 12 and lower panels 14 for clarity oforientation, although it is still assumed that both panels 12 and 14 areidentical in construction and configuration. Assembly begins by firstarranging multiple lower panels 14 with outer surface 20 in contact withthe surface to be covered. Lower panels 14 adjacent in the longitudinaldirection are positioned with their ends touching and their extrudedfeatures aligned longitudinally. Lower panels 14 adjacent in thelatitudinal direction are positioned such that their ends are offsetfrom each other in a longitudinal direction so as to create alongitudinal overlap when upper panels 12 are assembled. Thelongitudinal offset of adjacent lower panels 14 can be as little as twoinches or as much as half the longitudinal length depending on thespecific application. The longitudinal offset pattern can be a simplestaggering of every other latitudinal lower panel 14 or can follow astaggering pattern spread over multiple adjacent panels. For instance,the first adjacent lower panel 14 can be offset by four inches; the nextlower panel 14 is offset by an additional four inches, and so on untilthe pattern repeats. Once the entire field of lower panels 14 isinstalled over the surface to be covered, the lower panels 14 can beeasily trimmed with an appropriate cutting tool to create a straightedge on each longitudinal end of floor system 10 or left as staggerededge created by the longitudinal panel offset.

FIG. 5 illustrates a typical orientation and assembly of upper panels 12onto lower panels 14. Upper panels 12 and lower panel 14 with thecross-sectional shape shown in FIG. 3A are shown in a partiallyassembled state with one upper panel 12 assembled with a lower panel 14and another upper panel 12 positioned for assembly. Upper panels 12 arepositioned and installed on lower panels 14 such that they are offsetlatitudinally from lower panel 14 by half the width of each panel. Likethe arrangement of lower panels 14 previously described and as shown inFIGS. 1-2, upper panels 12 are offset longitudinally from adjacent upperpanels 12 so as to overlap and directly interlock with four lower panels14. Additionally, each panel 12 will indirectly interlock with up to sixadjacent panels 12 and 14 through the joints created by hooks 42 andmain latches 24. This results in each joint being supported by up to tenpanels 12 and 14. The combination of longitudinal and latitudinaloverlap creates a unified structure that eliminates the need for a rigidor semi-rigid support surface. Also, recess 38 is specifically locatedas near as possible to the surface of panel 12 to limit joint flexurewhen loaded in tension so as to add further rigidity to the structure.In operation, any external load applied to the floor surface, whetherabove or below, is therefore shared by multiple panels resulting in amuch stronger and stiffer floor.

Once upper panel 12 is positioned over lower panels 14 with the desiredlongitudinal overlap and with side latches 26 aligned for engagementwith the corresponding main latches 24 of the lower panels 14, adownward force F is applied to upper panel 12 along one longitudinaledge above the side latch 26 so as to force it into engagement with thecorresponding main latch 24. The downward force can be generated inpractice by merely stepping down on the upper panel 12 with a foot orthrough the use of a tool such as a rubber mallet or weighted roller. Asupper panel 12 travels downward, the side flange 44 pilots into recess38 in the main latch 24, and hook 42 of side latch 26 contacts thelocking flange 34 of the main latch 24 and is deflected laterally awayfrom locking flange 34. Referring to FIG. 7, as upper panel 12 completesits engagement with lower panel 14, side flange 44 further engages andaligns itself in recess 38, and hook 42 moves past locking flange 34 andthen is able to return back to its original shape and thereby engagelocking flange 34. Once the one longitudinal edge of upper panel 12 issecured, the assembly procedure is repeated with the main latch 24 ofupper panel 12 as shown in FIG. 5 and then again for the remaininglongitudinal edge of upper panel 12. It is also conceivable that bothlongitudinal edges and main latch 24 of upper panel 12 can besimultaneously joined to lower panels 14 with an appropriate tool havingsufficient width to span beyond the width W of upper panel 12. Forinstance, a heavy roller type of tool such as a lawn roller could beemployed.

Referring to FIGS. 5-7, as upper panel 12 is mated with lower panels 14,ribs 28 automatically align with locking ribs 30. The interlock betweenribs 28 and locking ribs 30 prohibits ribs 28 from deflecting laterallyand therefore provides rigid vertical structural support to outersurface 20.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 6, edge covers 16 provide a functionalheight transition as well as a decorative edge treatment and areinstalled over the edge of panels 12 and 14 around the perimeter offloor system 10. Edge covers 16 are extruded plastic similar to panels12 and 14, and are cut to a practical length such as 8 or 16 feet.

Floor systems 10 are semi-permanent in nature and are designed to beeasily disassembled. Disassembly of the exemplary floor system 10 is assimple as reversing the assembly operation. After removing edge covers16 and then starting at one corner of floor system 10, disassembly isinitiated by lifting up along one longitudinal edge of the end of oneupper panel 12 to start disengaging hook 42 from main latch 24 in lowerpanel 14. Continuing with the lifting motion in a slight peeling mannerwill then further progressively disengage hook 42 along the longitudinaledge and simultaneously start disengaging main latch 24 in upper panel12 from hooks 42 in lower panels 14. As the disassembly motionprogresses, the opposite longitudinal edge of upper panel 12 will thenstart to disengage from lower panels 14 until the entire upper panel 12is free The remaining upper panels 12 of floor system 10 aredisassembled in the same manner. The disassembly process can also bedescribed as an unsnapping or unzipping process. The disassembly processcan also be made even easier by using a specially designed tool toaccomplish the disengagement of hooks 42 with main latches 24. Forinstance, a wedge shaped unzipping tool can be inserted between hooks 42in upper panels 12 and main latch 24 of lower panel 14 and then pushedor pulled along the longitudinal edge to quickly and continuously unlockan entire length of panels 12. Then the disassembly of main latch 24 ineach upper panel 12 is more easily accomplished by the aforementionedlifting motion.

Individual panels 12 and 14 are designed for manufacturingconsiderations, easy handling and installation. While it was previouslydescribed that floor system 10 can be disassembled into individualpieces, it is often advantageous to disassemble floor system 10 intolarge sections. For instance, if floor system 10 is assembled frompanels 12 and 14 that are 12 inches wide by 4 feet long, it could bereadily disassembled into easily manageable sections measuringapproximately 48 inches wide by 8 feet long, or in other words, fourpanels wide by two panels long. Panels of this size are similar to manysheet building materials and therefore are easily stored. Obviously,many other configurations are possible and can easily be determined andmanaged by the user depending on the needs of a particular installation.

In alternate embodiments of the invention, panels 12 and 14 can be ofdifferent sizes depending on the application. For instance, upper panel12 can be made twice as wide as lower panel 14 so that there are fewervisible joints on the upper surface of floor system 10 thereby possiblyenhancing the aesthetic appearance. This unequal panel size can alsoincrease the structural rigidity of floor system 10. In anotheralternate embodiment, upper panels 12 with, for instance, two or threedifferent widths, can be installed in an alternating pattern to providean aesthetically pleasing appearance.

While the present invention has been illustrated by the description ofembodiments thereof, and while the embodiments have been described inconsiderable detail, it is not the intention of the specification torestrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to suchdetail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear tothose skilled in the art. For example, individual components can becombined, assemblies can be divided into separate components orcomponents can be rearranged without affecting the operation. Therefore,the invention, in its broader aspects, is not limited to the specificdetails, the representative apparatus, and illustrative examples shownand described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such detailswithout departing from the spirit or scope of the applicant's generalinventive concept.

1. A modular floor system comprising: a plurality of lower panels, eachpanel having interlocking features; a plurality of upper panels, eachpanel having interlocking features; wherein said lower panels arearranged in a pattern adjacent to each other; wherein said upper panelsare arranged in a pattern adjacent to each other and positioned abovesaid lower panels; and wherein said pattern of upper panels are arrangedsuch that each said upper panel interlocking features engages with acomplementary interlocking feature of a plurality of lower panels. 2.The modular floor system of claim 1 wherein said engagement of saidupper panels with said lower panels forms a unified substantially planarsurface.
 3. The modular floor system of claim 1 wherein an external loadis shared by a plurality of said upper and lower panels.
 4. The modularfloor system of claim 1 wherein each said lower panel is offsetlongitudinally from a latitudinally adjacent lower panel.
 5. The modularfloor system of claim 1 wherein each said upper panel is offsetlongitudinally from a latitudinally adjacent upper panel and interlockswith at least two said lower panels.
 6. The modular floor system ofclaim 1 wherein said upper and lower panels are the same configuration.7. The modular floor system of claim 1 wherein said upper panels are notthe same configuration as said lower panels.
 8. The modular floor systemof claim 1 wherein said upper and lower panels are extruded.
 9. Themodular floor system of claim 8 wherein said panels are plastic.
 10. Themodular floor system of claim 1 wherein said each upper and lower panelsfurther comprise a rib that automatically aligns and interlocks with acomplementary feature on an opposing mating panel.
 11. A method ofconstructing a modular floor system comprising: arranging a plurality oflower panels adjacent to each other; positioning a plurality of upperpanels adjacent to each other and above said lower panels; and movingsaid upper panels into engagement with said lower panels such that aunified substantially planar surface is formed.
 12. The method of claim11 further comprising the step of positioning each said upper panel suchthat it interlocks with at least two said lower panels.
 13. The methodof claim 11 further comprising the step of displacing longitudinallyeach said lower panel from a latitudinally adjacent lower panel.
 14. Themethod of claim 11 further comprising the step of displacinglongitudinally each said upper panel from a latitudinally adjacent upperpanel.